The OLMEC Civilization was one of the most influential ancient civilizations of the early Americas, and though its dominance of the region faded in the last centuries before the Common Era, the OLMEC civilization is commonly thought to be the “mother culture” of many other cultures that appeared in the region in later years.
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Dates: c. 2,500 - 400 BCE
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The OLMEC lived along the Gulf Coast of Mexico in the modern-day Mexican states of Tabasco and Veracruz. The OLMEC society lasted from about 1600 BCE to around 350 BCE, when environmental factors made their villages unlivable.
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Aug 26, 2013 . The OLMEC were the first great Mesoamerican civilization. They thrived along Mexico’s Gulf coast, mainly in the present-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco, from about 1200 to 400 B.C., although there were pre-OLMEC societies before that and post-OLMEC (or Epi-OLMEC) societies afterward.
Occupation: Professor of History And Literature
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Mar 04, 2019 . Although archeologists have used the name “OLMEC,” to refer to the Black builders of ancient Mexico’s first civilizations, recent discoveries have proven that these Afro-OLMECs were West Africans of the Mende language and cultural group.
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A large ceremonial center was spotted at the early OLMEC site called San Lorenzo, which is located in Veracruz in the lowlands near the Gulf of Mexico and was at its peak from roughly 1400-1000 BC.
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OLMEC, the first elaborate pre-Columbian civilization of Mesoamerica ( c. 1200–400 bce) and one that is thought to have set many of the fundamental patterns evinced by later American Indian cultures of Mexico and Central America, notably the Maya and the Aztec.
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Apr 16, 2018 . Archaeologist Peter Joralemon has identified eight gods—or at least supernatural beings of some sort—associated with the ancient OLMEC culture. They are the following: OLMEC Dragon Bird Monster Fish Monster Banded-eye God Water God Maize God Were-jaguar Feathered Serpent.
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Apr 29, 2018 . #1 The OLMEC were the first great Mesoamerican civilization Mesoamerica is a term used to describe the region roughly corresponding to modern day Mexico and Central America which was inhabited by various societies before Spanish colonization following the famous discovery by Christopher Columbus.
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The OLMECs are one of the most fascinating civilisations in the Pre-Columbian Americas. They are easily recognised by their creative, enigmatic, and soulful artwork; They were the first to introduce ball-courts and they are candidates for the first …
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The oldest known OLMEC site is a ceremonial complex at San Lorenzo in Mexico’s Tabasco state, which enjoyed a 300-year heyday from about 1400 to 1100 BC, making it a few centuries older than the ...
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OLMEC Dragon (God I) Also known as the Earth Monster, the OLMEC Dragon has flame eyebrows, a bulbous nose, and bifurcated tongue. When viewed from the front, the OLMEC Dragon has trough-shaped eyes; when viewed in profile, the eyes are L-shaped. Fangs are prominent, often rendered as an upside-down U-shaped bracket.
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Apr 30, 2017 . OLMEC God II - Maize Deity. (Author provided) God III was a cosmological deity sometimes referred to as a bird monster and was associated with the sun, sky, and agricultural fertility. It was usually portrayed in bird-monster form which combined reptilian and avian features. It sometimes had flaming eyebrows. OLMEC God III - Bird God aka Bird Monster.
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Aerial remote-sensing of a large region of Mexico has revealed hundreds of ancient Mesoamerican ceremonial centers, including a large one at an important site for the ancient OLMEC culture that is known for its colossal stone heads. The remote-sensing method, called lidar, pinpointed 478 ceremonial centers in areas that were home to the ancient OLMEC …
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Jun 09, 2015 . The ancient OLMEC religion revolved around supernatural deities, they worshiped the jaguar-gods, crocodile and snake gods. The giant OLMEC heads are one of the most important symbols of this ancient civilization.
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The OLMEC civilization is believed to be the first true civilization in Mesoamerica (area which now covers Mexico and Central America). Traces of them are found in the tropical lowlands of Mexico. The OLMECs were the predecessors of the Maya, Aztec and other later civilizations in the region.
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OLMEC, the first elaborate pre-Columbian civilization of Mesoamerica (c. 1200–400 bce) and one that is thought to have set many of the fundamental patterns evinced by later American Indian cultures of Mexico and Central America, notably the Maya and the Aztec.
OCLC 52523439. Coe, Michael D. (1968). America's First Civilization: Discovering the OLMEC. New York: The Smithsonian Library. Coe, Michael D.; Rex Koontz (2002). Mexico: from the OLMECs to the Aztecs (5th edition, revised and enlarged ed.). London and New York: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0-500-28346-X. OCLC 50131575. Covarrubias, Miguel (1977) [1946].
The OLMECs flourished during Mesoamerica 's formative period, dating roughly from as early as 1500 BCE to about 400 BCE. Pre-OLMEC cultures had flourished since about 2500 BCE, but by 1600–1500 BCE, early OLMEC culture had emerged, centered on the San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán site near the coast in southeast Veracruz.
These display a rounded facial form, thick features, heavy-lidded eyes, and down-turned mouths, and they are sometimes referred to as were-jaguars. The OLMECs lived in hot, humid lowlands along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in what is now southern Veracruz and Tabasco states in southern Mexico.
Living around the Gulf of Mexico for nearly 1,000 years, the OLMEC civilization was a major influence on the region up until 300 BC. They are often considered the first ordered civilization in the Americas and are thought to have even influenced the Mayans and the Aztecs. One city is estimated to have been the home to 13,000 people at minimum.
OLMEC jadeite mask 1000–600 BCE. The OLMECs (/ˈɒlmɛks, ˈoʊl-/) were the earliest known major civilization in Mesoamerica following a progressive development in Soconusco. They lived in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico, in the present-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco.
Many thrones, colossal heads, and other major pieces of OLMEC art have been found at La Venta. Complex A, a religious complex located in the royal compound at La Venta, is one of the most important ancient OLMEC sites. The ancient OLMEC had a rich culture.
OLMECs were known to often bury their sculptures including large ones as a ritual act of memory. The OLMECs influenced civilizations across Mesoamerica, particularly in sculpture. Also many OLMEC gods reappear in the later civilization in a similar manner such as the sky-dragon and the feathered-snake God.